Page 28 of Heartless As Puck

“Detroit.”

“They did well last season.” They’d progressed further than the Chaos, not that that was necessarily a challenge.

“Yeah. We came close to beating them a couple of times, though.” He didn’t sound defensive, just factual.

“Mm-hm.”

Austin exhaled sharply. “The more I think about it, the more obvious it is that you have a good understanding of hockey and the NHL, beyond what I’d expect from someone in your role. I know we’ve kind of been over this, but can you explain to me why you never mentioned your connections?”

The corners of my mouth turned down. I didn’t dislike talking about my family. I just wished that people didn’t make such a fuss over me because of them.

“I love hockey,” I began slowly, taking the time to turn my thoughts over in my mind before voicing them. “I’m not interested in being in the limelight, though. Like, when Alec’s relationship with Tally went public, the kind of attention they got would have driven me crazy. I’d have ended up hiding in my bedroom with the curtains drawn and never leaving.”

I waited for a moment for him to respond, but he didn’t, so I continued.

“I also don’t like the way people treat me when they learn who Dad and Alec are. They either suck up because they want to meet them or they treat me poorly because they think I must have a high opinion of myself. I’d rather be judged on my own merit, even if I sometimes come up short.”

“I respect that.”

A small burst of warmth blossomed inside me. I reminded myself not to get carried away. After all, he might respect my stance, but he was also one of the people who had treated me differently once they found out who my family was.

It was clear that my connection to Dad and Alec was one of the main reasons he’d asked me to pretend to date him. Not only would it be a great P.R. opportunity for the team, but linking himself to a hockey dynasty would probably impress his coaches.

I pulled into the stadium parking lot and drove to the side door. “You’ve always treated me with respect… until two days ago.”

He unbuckled his seat belt. “I truly am sorry for that. I was shocked by what Gus had told me, but that’s no excuse. I should have done things differently, and I wish I had. I’d never… uh…” He cleared his throat. “I’d never want to upset you.”

I glanced at him in the rearview mirror. His cheeks were pink again, and he was looking down at his hands.

“Thank you for the apology.” Perhaps this was a sign that we could get our working relationship back on track. If we set clear boundaries, maybe my job could be salvaged, and I wouldn’t have to move out and either admit defeat to my parents or go searching for something else. “Can I ask you something?”

He raised his eyes and met mine in the mirror. “Of course.”

“Are things going to be weird between us if I stay as your assistant?”

He shook his head immediately. “Not if I can help it. You’re the best one I’ve ever had. I know I’m not the most easygoing guy, but you’ve never complained about that, and I’ve never had to worry about you forgetting anything. With you, I know everything is taken care of, and I don’t want to lose that.”

I pressed my lips together, thinking hard. “Okay. Let’s try to move forward then.”

His face lit up. “Thank you. I’ll make sure you don’t regret being patient with me.” He hesitated, then continued, “It might be a bad idea to say this, and I promise we can shut down the conversation for good if it’s a dealbreaker, but I’d really like to understand why you hate the idea of pretending to be with me so much. It could benefit us both. Is it the deception that puts you off? The public interest? Or are you worried about your dating life?”

My instant reaction was to refuse to reply, but something in his tone saved him. It didn’t sound as if he was trying to push the matter, just understand. I supposed that was fair enough, especially because my reasons likely didn’t align with what he expected.

I opened my mouth—to say what, I didn’t know—but before any words could emerge, a set of knuckles rapped on the window, and then Jesse’s smiling face appeared on the other side of the glass.

He waved and mouthed, “Hi,” then jerked his thumb toward the building. “You coming?”

My heart hammered, and I felt like I’d been granted a reprieve, but I knew it wouldn’t last long. Austin wasn’t the kind of guy to forget a question like that. Next time we were alone, I’d have to answer it.

NINE

AUSTIN

I lugged my bag toward the Range Rover, guilt churning in my gut as I wondered how on earth I’d never realized that Jane attended college. Was I a terrible person?

Now that my failure had been brought to light, I wanted to rectify it and learn everything about her. The desire surprised me, considering I was rarely interested in anything except hockey.

But first, I needed an answer to my earlier question. I’d completely drop the subject if she asked me to, but I couldn’t deny the rejection—however well-deserved—had pricked my ego. Perhaps that was why I’d acted like such a jerk.